By Mary O’KEEFE

My daughter and I were recently discussing how to get rid of all the clutter my husband and I have acquired over our lifetimes. My mother and father were very organized; however, when they passed going through their household items was a bit overwhelming. My mother specifically never liked holding on to things but toward the end of her life, when she was dealing with dementia, we noticed a lot of repeat buying that included boxes and boxes of scarves.

While I do not want to leave my children with this type of a conglomeration of things to go through, I also don’t want to get rid of everything. My grandmother had handwritten notes placed in the crystal that came from England or Ireland as well as the beautiful plates that she had saved up forever to buy. My uncle was a carpenter and I have the desk, picture frames and rocking chair he made. Each one of these things has a story that has been passed from one generation to another.

I really feel that in some cases the story is more important than the things. My Bobby [what I called my grandma] and I would have afternoon tea and she would share the most amazing stories that included when she moved to Southern California when her father worked on the railroad, her return trip to Iowa and, of course, her many adventures with her cousin in Chicago in the ’20s. When I hold these items, it gives me a connection to her and to my ancestors.

Everything my family left to me was made with such care, and each item can be (and many have been) repaired.

The art of repairing things has been lost. It is so much easier to just toss and buy again. It is truly amazing how many things we throw out.

“The U.S. represents 5% of the world’s population, yet consumes about a quarter of the planet’s resources. Much of this is a result of our ‘throwaway’ lifestyle, whereby many products are used once and then thrown away forever. This started in the 1950s when the plastics and chemical industries sold the American public on the convenience of single-use disposable items. Decades later, the throwaway lifestyle has led to packaging waste [mostly plastic] making up 30% of American household trash. In 2011, the average American produced 4.4 pounds of household garbage per day, twice as much as in 1960. This linear approach to resource consumption has big impacts for our communities, the marine environment and even how our taxpayer dollars are spent,” according to cleanwater.org in “The Problem – Our Throw Away Lifestyle” published in 2012.

“Generation of furniture and furnishings in MSW (municipal solid waste) was 12.1 million tons in 2018 – up from 2.2 million tons in 1960. Wood was the largest material category in furniture, and ferrous metals was the second largest category. Plastics, glass, textiles and other materials were also found in furniture… A significant proportion (19.5%) of furniture and furnishings was combusted for energy recovery in 2018, but the majority of this product sector was landfilled (80.1%),” according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

To see this “throwaway” mentality in action all you have to do is go to a beach, a walking trail or street cleanup. You will find all kinds of items, from baby beds to sofas, and smaller items like clothing and plastic cups.

It really does seem like items are made to be thrown away; they are not made to be repaired. I remember my dad repairing everything, from televisions to cameras. My uncle taught me how to repair furniture and yet it is so easy just to get rid of things and start anew.

But there does appear to be a movement to stop this tossing trend. My daughter-in-law is part of a few “buy nothing” groups. The mission of this Buy Nothing Project states: “Give, receive, lend, share and show gratitude in hyperlocal gift economies where the true wealth is the connections between real neighbors.”

So if you need something you communicate that need; if you have something you no longer need you share that, too. This attitude of sharing had been part of our national practice for years when items were not so easily delivered to our doorstep. I have benefited from this sharing with the Fire House youth center where every item, including pool tables, air hockey and sofas, has been donated. My grandsons’ room at my home is full of toys, a bed and strollers that have been donated by moms, grandmas and friends.

Now we are still a society of consumers and I am not saying that we should not buy anything from stores; I will add that when you buy look first at local small businesses. “Shopping local” is another way to help our community; however, when you can reuse, repair or share. 

In addition I think the art of repair has been lost along the way. One of my favorite shows is “The Repair Shop.” It is finally streaming back on BritBox. It is set in England and I think what I like about the show is how there is this atmosphere of respect, both by those who do the repairs and those who bring in their items. The audience watches as these incredibly talented artists repair everything from 100-year old cradles to toys from the 1800s. When the repair people reveal the items, there is such emotion, though subdued (remember I said it was English) when the owners see their prized possessions brought back to their original life.

Repairing and sharing items is not just good for the soul but good for the planet.

In 2018, about 146.1 million tons of MSW were landfilled. Food was the largest component – about 24% – but plastics accounted for over 18%, paper and paperboard made up about 12% and rubber, leather and textiles over 11%, according to the EPA.

So maybe to help the Earth and reduce the landfills we need to trim down the items we have by offering them to others and repair first before buying something new. And then share with your family memories associated with some items.